Today we did a fun activity that showed us a little about the science of surface tension. I filled two glass pans with about a 1/2 inch of full fat (whole) milk. Cream will work, too. Then I had the kids use their droppers to add color to the milk. We used liquid watercolor, but food coloring will also work. I have found that popsicle molds work really well for holding the colors. They have a nice deep reservoir for our droppers, without having to use too much color, and they don't tip easily. Once the kids had a good amount of colors added to the milk, I set out some toothpicks and a small bowl of dish soap, and invited them to dip the toothpicks into the soap, and then into the colored milk.

When they do that, the soap breaks the surface tension, allowing the colors to break free from the fat in the milk which had been holding them in place. The result is a great dash of color seeming to burst away from the toothpick in their hands, and is really fun to watch! After watching a few times over, we talked a little bit about what surface tension is. To help demonstrate it better, I showed the kids this cup FULL of water and asked them how the water could stay inside the cup even though it was over the top edge? The answer, of course is: surface tension!

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